Thursday, February 25, 2010

We watch the Olympics every night and one commercial I noticed has been airing a lot is for the Nissan Leaf 100% electric car. Yes the car is cute and the idea of no gas plus zero emissions does sound awesome. But I have to wonder if electric cars are really the way we should be moving. Let's think about the reasons we want to get away from gasoline:

1. Cost - the price of gasoline is steadily on the rise again (funny how no one mentions it now that the election is long over)
2. To reduce our consumption of oil and fossil fuels

Now here is my issue with electric cars. Yes it is great that they do not require any gasoline and yes it will save us money. However, they do require electricity. Electricity comes from power plants and how do power plants create electricity? Fossil fuels. It probably uses less fossil fuels to create the electricity to power this car as opposed the amount used to create gasoline for a car, but it is still using fossil fuels none the less. And to me, that is not moving forward that is moving sideways.

I have two words for the government and car manufacturers: renewable energy. Instead of putting money into developing the technology for electric cars, how about we put it towards developing solar powered cars? And do not tell me that the technology is not there yet and it can't be done. We were told by someone from the electric company that we could fit our house with solar panels that would not only provide more than enough electricity to power our house, but also have enough excess power to sell back to the electric company. So you are telling me that solar technology can power my 2,000 sq ft home of 6 but it can't power a car? Sorry, I'm not buying it. Maybe the reason that the technology "isn't there yet" is because no one is trying to get it there. And I think we can thank that to the fact that oil companies have too much control over Washington.

Oh and let us not forget that now there is talk about building charging stations for these electric cars. The stations will charge the car faster than one can do at home. Great, more resources wasted to build these stations. Meanwhile a solar car requires no such station, only the darn sun! The whole thing just aggravates me.

Friday, February 19, 2010

I have to admit that I am pretty lazy when it comes to bottles. By that I mean I rarely use them. With my twins I exclusively breastfed them which was awesome, but I made the mistake of never getting them used to a bottle. Essentially because I hate pumping. So the result was they never took a bottle and therefor mama could never go very far. With my 4th son, now 9 weeks old, I vowed to not make the same mistake again. Well at almost 2 months old I still had not given him a bottle and was heading down the same path. Thankfully, that is when my Tommee Tippee bottle arrived.

OK so right now you are probably thinking "What the heck is a Tommee Tippee?" Tommee Tippee is the number-one brand of infant and toddler feeding products in Great Britain. In January 2010 their product lines Closer To Nature and Explora became available in the United States at Babies R Us stores and will also be in Toys R Us stores in March. All of their bottles and cups are BPA and Phthalate free, which is why I wanted to give them a try.

I received the Closer To Nature 9oz bottle to test out which comes with one slow flow nipple. The first thing that I noticed about this bottle is the short fat shape. I think it is kind of cute and this shape makes it easier to hold.

Closer to Nature bottles are intuitively designed for easier, more natural feeding. The bottle features a uniquely soft, superwide nipple that naturally flexes and stretches like the breast, and the natural shape lets baby latch on effortlessly, easing transitions between breast and bottle and allowing mom to successfully combine breast and bottle feeding.

Now when I gave this bottle to my little guy for the first time it was also literally the first time I had given him any bottle. The nipple is super soft, I think the softest I have ever used. So I put some breast milk in the bottle and gave it a go. I will say it took a good 10 minutes of him kind of moving the nipple around in his mouth before he actually latched onto it and started drinking. But once he did start, that was it- he had it down pat. I was actually very surprised, I figured it would take a few attempts to get him to drink anything from it. I was also happy that he didn't seem to have any air bubbles or extra gas from using the bottle. When my other babies would drink from a bottle, I could literally hear the air bubbles gurgling in their bellies. I did not hear any of that with this bottle. I am actually really excited now because I have a bottle that he will use so I can leave him for more than 2 hours at time. Not that I am planning any long distance trips or anything.

I do have a small negative that I want to mention. The nipple that came with the bottle is a slow flow nipple for newborns. However, I think the flow is too fast. Or perhaps its just that the nipple leaks too easily. But when the nipple was just sitting in my son's mouth and he wasn't doing anything to it, there was a constant flow of milk coming out of it into his mouth. It is not a huge problem, just more of a nuisance.

Tommee Tippee also makes a line of cups, Explora, and they sent me the Truly Spill Proof Water Bottle to try out as well. I must say this 12 oz bottle really is leak proof. I filled it up with water and shook it upside down pretty hard and not a drop came out. I then gave it to my 2.5 year old twins and I could see them trying to shake water out with no luck.

The advance-flo™ valve used in Explora cups requires almost no force to drink from, yet still remains spill- and leak-proof. Each Explora cup is progressively staged with a specific grip to fit little fingers and unique spouts, from soft touch to dura spouts, to meet the needs of every age, and to support natural oral development.

Tommee Tippee has a pretty wide selection of bottles and cups to choose from, not just the two I mentioned here. Check out Tommee Tippee on Amazon.com.

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter a different experience with these than I did. Tommee Tippee provided me with a bottle and cup for review as a reviewer for the Mom Bloggers Club. This post contains affiliate links.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Is your child a budding chef? Well Kiwi Magazine is looking for kids who love to cook! If your child is between the ages of 4 to 17 and enjoys healthy cooking, then they could be Kiwi's Next Great Young Chef! The grand prize $2,500 plus a feature in Kiwi Magazine.

One of my Green Goals for 2010 is to try out cloth diapering with our newborn. Cloth diapers really intimidate me so I never tried them with our 3 older boys. Since I am new to the cloth diaper world, I really didn't know were to start or what diapers to try. So I was beyond excited when Rosemary from Great Lakes Diaper contacted me about a review.

Great Lakes Diaper Company is an online cloth diaper store that has everything to get you started with cloth. Started by a mama, they carry a variety of cloth diapers like FuzziBunz and Knickerknappies as well as all of the accessories you will need. If you are new to cloth diapering like I am and need information on how it all works, then you need to check out the Cloth Diaper FAQs section. For me, this is the best and most helpful cloth FAQ that I have come across. One of my biggest questions going into this was what do I do with the poop and how do I wash these things. Great Lakes Diaper Company answers these questions and others with very detailed explanations. They also tell you about the different types of cloth diapers that are available and what you will need to get started. If you still have questions then do not hesitate to email them!

Now when Rosemary offered me a diaper to try out, I told her how excited I was but also so clueless. I had no idea what I should try or what would work well for a tiny newborn. I ultimately I gave her free reign and told her to send me what she thought would be good for me. I received 2 Perfect Size FuzziBunz (x-small) diapers.

When my diapers came in the mail I was so excited! I was finally going to try out cloth, not to mention they are just so darn cute! The FuzziBunz are fairly easy to use. They have a waterproof outer layer and a fleece inner layer and come with a fleece insert that goes in the inside pocket for extra absorbency. Now lets be honest, cloth diapering takes some getting used to. As someone who used disposable diapers on 3 previous children, cloth diapers were pretty foreign to me. I will admit I was a little skeeved about what to do with a poop diaper. I knew I was supposed to dump it in the toilet but I had not completely read the FAQ section I mentioned earlier that tells you that exclusively breastfed baby poop can just be thrown into the wash. So the first time that my little guy pooped in his FuzziBunz, here I am trying to scrape the poop off with toilet paper into the toilet. It was quite a sight. I also had a major blowout/leak the first time we used it but that was because I hadn't made the diaper tight enough. The FuzziBunz have a bunch of snaps so you can adjust the diaper to fit your baby - do not be afraid to make them nice and snug!

Isn't a cloth diaper baby bum just so cute? After a few more tries with them I think I can say I got the hang of it. Well, I am better anyway. :) Now I still only have these 2 diapers so I am still using disposables most of the time, but I am hoping to slowly build up a supply of some more cloth.

As I mentioned, Great Lakes Diaper company has a nice selection of different cloth diapers, wipes and other accessories. You will also find newborn packages which is a really great way to get yourself started. They even have a Rewards Program which lets you earn gift certificates to use towards future purchases. There are 3 ways to earn rewards (be sure to check the site for all the details):
~ For every $100 you spend you will receive a $5 certificate
~ Refer a friend who makes a $50 first purchase and receive a $5 certificate
~ Post their button on your blog and send them 100 unique visitors and receive a $5 certificate. (I actually need to get that set up myself)

Great Lakes Diaper Company often has special sales, you may have seen me post some in the past. So be sure to check out the sale section and save! And all orders over $50 will receive free standard shipping within the USA.

So whether you are an experienced cloth diaper user or a newbie like myself, you should definitely check out Great Lakes Diaper Company!

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This
giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Thursday,
March 4 at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using
Random.org and will be posted on the Winner's Announcement Page.
Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will
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so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone,
it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Please
note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own
and based on my personal experience with the product. You may encounter
a different experience with this than I did. Great Lakes Diaper Company provided me with 2 diapers for review and is providing the gift certificate for the giveaway.

Monday, February 8, 2010

For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you may remember the Bagnesia review I did last February. I still use my kit when I go grocery shopping and a few months after I did that review, I bought some of their produce bags as well. I love the Bagnesia produce bags because they are lightweight, washable and inexpensive. Right now in celebration of Valentine's Day, Bagnesia is offering 20% off your order at Bagnesia.com. Simply use coupon code LOVE at checkout. This is a great deal so hurry and don't miss out on it!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Being a mom of 4, I have done my fair share of bathing babies. I have also used several different types of baby tubs or bathers and never truly been satisfied with any. First you have the big plastic baby tubs. These are probably the most popular. My problem with these is that they are huge and a pain to store and the only sink they fit in is the kitchen. So when bathing in a big open space like that the baby is freezing. The other I have tried is the mesh seat that you can just place right in the tub. These will absolutely kill your back as you are hunched over the side of your tub and reaching down to clean your infant. No, none of the traditional options out there really seem to be all that great.

I was really excited when Puj picked me to be one of their official product testers for The Puj Tub. I was more than ready to find a better baby bath solution (say that 3 times fast). The Puj Tub can be used for infants 0 to 6 months old (up to 17 pounds). It is made of soft foam and fits in any standard bathroom sink. When not in use it is completely flat and can be easily stored. When you are ready for bath time, simply snap the magnets together and viola! instant bathtub! The Puj Tub is non-toxic, hypoallergenic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and made in the USA.

My little man is 7 weeks old now and I have been using this tub for about the last 4 weeks, since his cord stump finally fell off. So I have had some time to really test it out and see if its better than all those old tubs.

The GoodThe Puj Tub is super easy to assemble and disassemble - 2 snaps of the magnets and you are done! I love that this fits in my bathroom sink, it is so much easier for me to bathe my baby in the bathroom rather than in the plastic tub for the kitchen sink. The shape of the Puj Tub cradles him really well and he is genuinely pretty happy during his baths in it. This tub is also super easy to clean. We all know that babies have a reputation of occasionally pooping in their baths. This happened for the first time last week and all I had to do was empty the tub, unsnap it and give it a quick wash down. If I was using the big plastic tub, I'd have to take off the mesh newborn hammock and throw it in the wash and then scrub all the corners and crevices in the tub. Not fun. I also have a pretty tight bathroom for 4 kids so being able to just hang the Puj Tub up in my shower till the next bath is awesome.

The Not So Good
I honestly do not really have anything negative to say about The Puj Tub; just maybe a few improvements. I would love if this tub could hold more water. When you fill it up and then put the baby in, about half of the water drains out of the overflow hole. So pretty much only the baby's bottom is in water leaving the baby's upper half wet and exposed to air which makes him chilly. Perhaps having the overflow hole moved up an inch or so could help with that. My only other issue was that it was a tight fit under my sink faucet. You can see in my picture how I had to bend the side a little to make it fit. But that is probably more my problem as I clearly have a builder special faucet that is original to the house.

Overall I am extremely happy with my Puj Tub. It has made bath time so much easier for me. I bathe my 3 older boys in the regular tub and while the last one (the oldest) is finishing up, I can quickly bathe the baby in the sink right there. Being able to get them all done in one space is a huge time saver for me. I definitely would recommend this tub to any mom of a newborn or it would make an awesome baby shower gift!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

From February 4 through February 11 Great lakes Diaper Company is having a 15% off sale on Thirsties cloth diapers and accessories. This is a great opportunity to stock up on some diapers!

At the end of the sale, all orders containing a Thirsties Product (placed between Feb 4 and Feb 11) will be entered to win 2 Duo Wraps! The winner will be randomly selected and announced on February 12. And don't forget there is always free shipping on orders over $50.

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